Page 23 of Nashville Cowboy
“I assured him, on pain of my own death apparently, that you will be there. And I’m not worried.”
“It’s actually so sweet that he loves his brother so much. He’s protective of his heart.” She grinned. “You guys still have sparks. Watching you two is…well, it makes me want to go find Lincoln, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I believe I do. And those sparks are bound to put my eye out at some point.”
“Now that you’re older, and both more settled, maybe it could work this time. There’s still something there.”
“No. It’s too late. He’ll never forgive me, and he’s got a life in Nashville. My life is here and always will be.”
“There’s surely a need for vets around Nashville, too.”
“Stop. My mother is here, Mima is here, and last but not least, you’re here. I’m going to watch you and Lincoln have those Carver boys you always dreamed of having.” She winked, knowing one could already be on the way.
“But what about you?” Sadie stuck out her bottom lip.
“I’m going to be Auntie Eve, of course.”
“Eve, you just can’t…you can’t let what happened to you dictate the rest of your life.” Sadie’s voice broke.
The attack left her deaf in one ear but hadn’t defined her entire life. That gave the man who’d hurt her too much power. She’d gone over and over this in counseling, but when (and if) she was ever ready for an intimate relationship again with another man, it would have to be someone she’d trust implicitly.
Simply trusting in a man’s good intentions felt overwhelming. She’d dated Jackson from the time they were both sixteen, and no one else until college. She supposed that the wedding reception would be a perfect and safe place to practice flirting with a man and she’d already devised a plan to at least try.
“I won’t let that happen, honey. I swear.” Eve squeezed Sadie’s hand. “They might not be Carver boys, and who knows, they might even be girls, but someday you and I will take our children to the park together. Do birthday parties together. Just like we planned.”
“Promise?” Sadie sniffed, squeezing back.
“I promise.”
Chapter 9
When Eve arrived at Texas A&M to begin her veterinary studies, it was like she’d crossed into a brand-new sparkling world in another dimension. There were young and handsome men everywhere, but there were just as many beautiful women. On campus. In her classes. Eve’s roommate, Marisol, was elated that men were so interested in Eve. She regularly got asked out and Marisol hoped Eve would give her the “castoffs.”
At first, heart bruised by Jackson’s explainable but abrupt exit out of town, she’d stayed to herself. The fact that Eve turned down all the men asking her out seemed to make her interesting, somehow. But it was what she’d become used to, in Stone Ridge. Men were always chasing the few available women. Marisol eventually became quite popular, dating all the men who’d first asked Eve out and been turned down. That’s when she figured out what Marisol meant by “castoffs.”
Eventually Marisol talked Eve into going out on a double date with her current boyfriend’s (they seemed to change weekly) roommate. After much prodding and reminders that she’d already been in school for three years but dated no one, Eve agreed. It was time to get out there. She’d heard nothing from Jackson, not that she’d expected to. His pride would have prevented him from reaching out, and her shame and regret kept her.
There would be no point, because they couldn’t ever come back from a public breakup like theirs. Once in a while Sadie would come to visit and report back on town happenings. Never a word about or from Jackson, but then again almost no one talked to Sadie anymore, either, knowing she was still close with Eve.
Bobby Butler, the first man she’d dated, was so kind and sweet and he eventually became Eve’s lover. Not quite like her and Jackson, there were never any sparks or crackling chemistry. And no fighting, because every time she argued about something or spoke her mind, Bobby laughed and agreed with her. Eve chalked up their lack of chemistry to differences in people. Bobby was a great and loyal friend. But she was only a little bit sad when after a few months he switched majors and dropped out of the program.
Not long after, she’d met Matt Friedenbach. He was nothing if not persistent, and Eve was flattered by his attention. Part of the football team, he was incredibly popular, handsome, and athletic. Everyone seemed to like him. She still didn’t want to go out with him and told him so. He seemed shocked, but instead of backing down became even more persistent. He was an athlete, after all, and Eve figured that she’d become a kind of challenge.
But one Sunday at the Piggly Wiggly, she’d spied the cover ofNashville Up-and-Coming. There in splendid, bright color inside the pages of the tabloid was a picture of Jackson walking down a sidewalk hand in hand with a breathtaking blonde. The paper referred to Jackson as the new husband of CMA Award–winning star Winona James.
She nearly got sick right in the check-out line, a stone sliding over her throat to close off her airway. Her legs were weak and trembling. She’d wanted to get out in the world and experience life outside of Stone Ridge, but she’d been the one to remain stagnant. Maybe because some part of her still believed with all her heart that she’d always love Jackson Carver.
But Jackson clearly moved on.
“Are you gettin’ that?” The check-out girl asked, reaching to ring up the magazine.
Eve was still holding on to the paper like it was welded to her hand. “N-no. I don’t want this.” She tucked it back into the rack with all the others and somehow managed to pay for her groceries and get out to the safety of her car.
Hands shaking, Eve gripped the steering wheel but that was as far as she got out of the parking lot. She kept seeing the photo of Jackson and his wife. Hiswife. Lord, she was so stupid.Whyhadn’t she moved on? She’d decided to let him go, and he’d moved on, which made all the sense in the world. No one would blame him, and neither should she.
It occurred to her at that very moment that she’d been waiting all this time for him to come after her. To fight for her. To assure her that he wanted her just as much as he wanted music. But if he hadn’t done any of those things by now, he never would. He’d gotten what he wanted after all. To be free of her. His teenage sweetheart.
Eve searched for the phone in her backpack and pulled it out. She went to one of Matt’s many missed calls and pressed the call back button.
